I love Shakespeare.
This isn't surprising for anybody who knows me. I'm an English major (well, double major); it's basically required in my genetic code for me to love Shakespeare. I'm a nerd on top of it. What's not to like?
And I think reading Shakespeare is an important part of anybody's life. I don't care if you understand it or not; I don't care if you think it's boring; I don't care if you only do it because it's required for school. I think, at least at some point in your life, you should read something written by the man.
Because even if you don't like him, he's bloody brilliant, and reading something by him will help you understand other things.
For instance, I adore Hamlet and Much Ado About Nothing; they're my two favorite Shakespearean plays. And I've learned things about real life from reading both of them. They teach me just as much as any other story would, if not more, and they do it more eloquently and more brilliantly than possibly any other written work to ever exist (in my humble opinion).
Besides, for me, it's fun to read. I like reading into what he wrote and finding the symbolism and the messages and watching it all come together.
But I still think everybody should read it at some point. (Or if not read it, watch it. If you have a chance, David Tennant did a wonderful modern version of Hamlet; I highly recommend watching it.)
Do YOU read Shakespeare?
Oh. And I'm doing the Shakespeare reading challenge (listed above) this year; I have to read Titus Andronicus for school, and I've wanted to reread Hamlet for some time, so... why not? I'm entering on Puck level, which is the most basic.
1. Titus Andronicus [own, read]
2. Hamlet [own, unread]
3. Much Ado About Nothing [own, unread]
4. Romeo & Juliet [own, unread]
Next year. I shall have more time NEXT YEAR. *twitches* I'm also taking a Shakespeare course next year, so I hafta read him. Baha.